Lacunosa Lapras
by Woodtea
Summary: A boy meets girl story with a dark twist.
1. Chapter 1

"Ahh, isn't this the life?!" I asked my Pokémon as I flopped onto the sand. It was a balmy summer evening and I was on a deserted beach with my Lapras. She sniffed lightly before placing her head on my chest.

"Lapras, you're squashing me!" I protested causing her to open one of her recently closed eyes. She murmured and lifted her neck up. She then grabbed the back of the collar on my shirt and pulled me up to the soft portion of her body before her hard shell begins, and started to sing. She wrapped her neck around me once more as I fell into a deep relaxing sleep.

The first thing I heard the next morning was the sea caressing the sand. Then my paradise was shattered. I could hear the distinctive sound of a Pokémon trainer calling commands. I started to open my eyes. With my groggy sight I could not see the source of the commands. I shifted against my Lapras' body, pulling up the blue jumper that was laid across me. Wait! A blue jumper?

I sat up rapidly, heart racing. I don't own a blue jumper. How did it get there?

"Hey!" A voice shouted, the same voice that was training the Pokémon. A young boy came running towards me.

"You had me worried there. I thought you were injured at first. Then I realized that you were just asleep." He knelt down and put his hands on Lapras' shell. He started to gently stroke her shell. Lapras squeaked with delight. She loves her shell being stroked.

"Just like my Lapras!" The boy chuckled. "Mine loves her shell being stroked too."

"You have a Lapras? I thought they were quite rare in Unova! I have heard of them being found around the Village Bridge area but I caught mine in the Johto region." I was beginning to ramble.

"Well, technically I had a Lapras. She was lost and I cared for her for a while and released her when she found her pack again. She was very useful for travelling around the Orange Islands though." He sighed.

"I'm glad she went back to her family though." He finished.

"My Lapras was lost too. I found her in the middle of a cave of all places." I chimed in.

"In a cave?" He quizzed, interested. The story of my Lapras always piques peoples' interests.

"Yes, she was disorientated and scared. I couldn't just leave her there." I shuffled around the sand at my feet.

"Well, I think you've raised her well." He brushed against her neck and she squeaked again.

"But I can't help but be a little interested in what you were doing in the Johto region. Quite a lot of the trainers that I meet have never even left their region of birth!" He turned and sat next to me, resting up against Lapras' shell.

"I travel around the regions collecting and battling with different Pokémon, mostly for research purposes, but I must admit that I do find enjoyment in battling. I even entered a few contests once. I grew up watching them on the TV and was mesmerized." Why am I gushing out so much information to this stranger?

"You watched contests on the TV? You must be from Hoenn then, they were the pioneers of Pokémon contests." I was taken aback, not many people know much of the Hoenn region.

"Yes, I'm from Sootopolis City." If he knew anything about Hoenn, he'd know about this strange place.

"I guess you had Wallace to look up to as a great Pokémon coordinator then." Ah, so he did know a little about Sootopolis City.

"I've also done quite a lot of travelling myself. I'm from Pallet Town in the Kanto region. It's only a small town, and not as exciting as Sootopolis City, but it's home."

"So why do you travel then?" I asked without thinking. I hope it didn't sound too rude.

"It's my dream to be a Pokémon Master!" He shouted stretching his arms out. His left hand briefly touched my shoulder. I turned my head, hoping that he didn't see me blushing.

"So you're going to take on the Unova League? Have you battled any gyms yet?" I can't stop asking questions.

"I already have eight badges!" He opened up a badge box to reveal eight shiny Unova League badges.

"I've also entered the League but I didn't quite make it to the top. I always fall a little short, but it doesn't matter, I'll still plough on." He shuffled his feet around in the sand.

"Now I'm just taking time out to relax. Undella seems to be the best place in Unova to unwind." He seemed to read my mind. I was going to ask him what he was doing now.

"Looks like battling is taking a back burner for the both of us then." I yawned, flopping my head back against Lapras' neck.

"This has to be the first time I've taken time out to relax since beginning my Pokémon journey when I was 10." I continued. This is true, I haven't taken a break in 10 years. I'm 20 now.

"It's important to relax every now and again. However, napping on a deserted beach is a little reckless." He scalded.

"You have heard of the Lacunosa Legend haven't you? Or should I say, horror story…"

"No, and I don't believe in silly little stories anyway!" I said, arms crossed and feeling a little annoyed.

"The people of Lacunosa believe that there is a great Pokémon that lives in the giant chasm that eats people at night by carrying them off on an icy wind. This Pokémon is called Kyurem and I've seen it. In fact…it… ate one of my friends." This revelation shocked me, and turned my skin icy cold. He can't be telling the truth.

He read my expression and continued talking. "I normally travel around with a group of people, but one of them was taken by Kyurem. The other returned home after this happened, he said that he couldn't trust me." He looked down and gripped his fists.

"How do they know that your friend was eaten? Surely there is a possibility that they might still be alive?" I can't believe this story, it cannot be true...

"They found her bones!" He wailed, echoing across the beach. His voice was husky.

"Can you see why I was worried about you now!" He shouted at me.

"But we're in Undella Town, Lacunosa is miles away from here." I object.

"I don't care, I don't want to take any chances." He was serious.

"Do you have anywhere to stay tonight? Where you will be safe…" He suddenly asked, straining his voice.

"N-n-n-no I don't" I stammer.

"Right then, you are coming to stay with me tonight. I have a place in Undella Town."

He stood up and brushed the sand off of his beige trousers.

"Number 12 Jellicent Beach, that's my address." He turned.

"Come on Pikachu!" He shouted and the bushes framing the beach rustled. A bright yellow Pikachu jumped out with a berry in its teeth.

"Any luck finding Axew?" The boy asked blankly. The Pikachu dropped its berry and shook his head. The boy buried his head in his hands and began to walk off the beach.

"Hey, I didn't catch your name!" I shouted to the figure walking away.

"It's Ash. And you?"

"Téa."

"Well then Téa, I'll see you later." He said with a slight grin.

I curled up into a little ball besides Lapras. What had just happened? I retreated under the mysterious blue jumper.

Ah! It must be his, Ash's. I took a deep breath in, drinking in the scent of the jumper. It was a tantalizing spicy but sweet scent that sent my heart wild.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Boy: Ash**

* * *

I can't believe that someone could be so careless after the recent events. Has she not seen the news recently? The Kyurem attack has been plastered all over every newspaper and current affairs show- heck- it's even been on that infernal gossip show that Unova loves so much.

And so has my face. Everyone hates me now. Apparently I was supposed to stop the beast from taking _her_. But how could I? The icy winds were so strong; I could barely open my eyes. Snivy's Vine Whip would have been useless in those conditions. It's not my fault that Ghetsis angered the beast. They should be blaming him.

But now even Cilan won't talk to me. He's gone home to Striaton and the last I heard the triplets closed their gym. I really want to go to Striaton and just knock some sense into him, but I imagine _that_ won't go down too well.

I scratch Pikachu's head and he squeaks in delight. At least he still likes me. I flop onto my unmade bed with Pikachu, sighing after the morning's events. Ugh, I should probably tidy this place up… I glance at the mess scattered all over the room. Half-eaten pizzas, crushed beer cans, and dirty clothes cover all the floor space, making my house look like a rubbish tip. I bet it even smells like one too. I had better start cleaning or she'll think I'm a slob.

I forcibly remove myself from my bed and pull off the covers. They are kind of stiff and crusty. Gross! I put them in the washer immediately, but I can't find any washing powder. Of course I don't have any, I've been wallowing in self-pity for the last month, why would I need washing powder. I'll have to go and get some. My sheets have to smell fresh, especially if there might be a girl in them!

I scald myself for thinking that way. I don't deserve anyone's attention right now never mind…_that thing_….ugh.

I have a rule that I never leave the house in the daytime though. Early morning and late night are alright since Undella is a small town and no one is around then, especially since the attack. But it's coming up afternoon now, and everyone will be out in force. The sleepy beach I found her on will not be so quiet anymore. Everyone will be swarming around the shops for their lunch. I'm going to have to go incognito. I remove my trademark cap and look in the mirror. My hair is messy normally but now it's almost unrecognizable. Couple that with the dark rings and people hopefully will not recognize me, nor will they approach me because I look slightly insane. I might ditch the cap. I'm getting a bit old to dress like I did when I was 10.

I grapple with my keys on my bedside table. The table spits up dust in retaliation. Gosh, everything's filthy. I make a mental list of what I need: Bin bags, washing up liquid, washing powder, bleach… you can tell I've never owned a house before.

I reach for the doorknob and twist my hands around it. I can feel a draught coming through the door; it's quite chilly outside now, a storm must be rolling in. I look back into the mess of my house and try to locate my jumper, the blue one, then I remember that I draped it on the girl.

Shit, now I'm going to freeze.

I place my hands on the doorknob again, this time releasing it from its safe clasp. The door opens up to the world in front of me, and I'm greeted with thick, dark storm clouds.

"Come on Pikachu!" I shout to my reluctant partner whom can sense the electricity in the clouds through his cheeks. I debated leaving him at home but I just couldn't.

"Hey buddy, try to hide in my hair like…Axew did." I pause and sigh. I'm convinced that Axew made it out of Kyurem's attack alive, plus his carcass hasn't been found. There's hope.

I also don't want Pikachu to be spotted. Pikachu are still quite rare in Unova. There have been odd occurrences of Pokémon from different regions popping up here in Unova, but still these were rarities. Everyone knows that I have a Pikachu.

I set off down the street and towards the shops, looking down at the pavement. I don't want to strut down the street or draw attention to myself or anything. If people knew that I lived in Undella, and so close to the beach, they'd probably picket my house or post shit through my letterbox. I'm almost at the shop now, well it's more of a min-market. The kind that makes most of its business selling essentials like ice-cream and tea bags to holidaymakers. There's always sand all over the floor.

I enter the shop to the sound of an electronic doorbell. The first thing that confronts me is the newsstand. I wonder what scathing reviews they have of me now? I pick up the most popular newspaper that brandishes the headline: "Where has he gone?" Complete with a big picture of my unsmiling face. I fold it and put it under my arm. I could use some entertainment, plus newspaper and vinegar is a good method of cleaning windows. I pick up a salacious magazine also. This one even has speculations to my location. Apparently Pallet Town is swarming with paparazzi. I might have to lead them on a wild goose chase to get them away from my hometown. They don't deserve that kind of treatment.

I can't dwell on the news; I have a mission to uphold. I can always read the magazine later. I grab a small plastic basket and head to the household-cleaning isle. By isle I secretly mean corner, because there is only a small section dedicated to cleaning. I fill my baskets with different coloured bottles and boxes and stride towards the counter. The young checkout assistant scans my items and chucks them into grey plastic bags. She doesn't look too happy to be doing it. She reaches the bottom of the basket and sees the newspaper and magazine that I chucked in at the bottom.

"I can't believe that they still haven't found him. He needs to be locked up for feeding that poor girl to the monster". I grunted in agreement. I can't argue with her, I can't tell her that she wanted to try to calm Kyurem down. She thought that she could because she was a 'Dragon Master'. The public is so misinformed. I kept my head down.

I handed the sales assistant a wad of cash and she sprinkled a few coins back in my palms.

"Have a nice day!" She forcibly chirps. I grab my bags and lift my head so that I don't crash into any of the meticulously stacked displays. The assistant pauses when she catches sight of my face but then continues slacking off. I was almost foiled…I wonder what changed her mind. Oh well, I'm not going to dwell.

I ran up the street and back to my house as fast as I could. I didn't want to wait around and be spotted, but I also didn't give the girl a time. She could arrive at any moment and my house is still a mess!

I dither about with bin bags and chemicals for about an hour, Pikachu watching on in amusement. Then I finally collapse onto the sofa with the gossip magazine. I flip to my respective page to find an interview with the one and only Gary Oak. Of course he's milking this opportunity. His interview is full of crap: him saying that I was lazy and arrogant as a child, that I had no friends, that he was better than me and the likes. I couldn't be bothered to take it too seriously. I know that he's a womanizing prat. He had a fling with Misty when I was travelling in Hoenn. I heard hushed voices on the grapevine mentioning pregnancy and miscarriages. He only slept with her to get back at me. I was doing what he wanted to do, travel the regions and earn gym battles. He was stuck researching for his 'gramps'.

I let go of the magazine and it slips onto the floor, the newspaper following it. I heard a light tap at the door. It must be her! I kicked the news items both haphazardly under the sofa and rush to the door.

"Téa!" I smiled as I opened the door. She stood there shuffling her feet, she must be nervous.

"Well don't just stand there in the cold, come in." I try to keep an optimistic tone. I don't want to alert her to my sinking depression, even if signs poked through when I was telling her about the Legend.

"Would you like some tea, Téa? It's getting rather cold outside." I asked as I directed her to my sofa.

"Yes please Ash, I'll take the strongest blend you have." She replied heartily.

I bustled into the kitchen to make the tea. I can't believe she actually came. I thought I had scared her off.

I emerge from the kitchen with a tray filled with tea paraphernalia to find Téa sat on the floor with the newspaper in her hands.

"Is there…is there any truth to this Ash?" She asked with tears in her eyes.

It started to rain heavily.

* * *

**And so the story begins to unfold...**


End file.
